Lily's Date with the Toe Rag
by caraez
Summary: Lily has agreed to go on a date with James under the condition that he will never bother her again. After all, one hour of torture is worth being James-free. As it turns out, Lily gets more from that date than she ever expected. Short&sweet LJ,please R


**A/N: I hope you enjoy it! Great thanks to my beta, ** mustardgirl1128. **(You should read some of her stuff!) Oh, and it's not really mine. It belongs to JKR.**

"Lily

"Lily? Lily, Lily, Lily!"

"What do you want, Potter?" I growled through my clenched teeth.

"I just wanted to tell you about my brilliant beyond brilliant plan," he said, acting as though I wasn't angry at all, and we were talking to each other very nicely, indeed.

"Why would I want to know this plan of yours?" I spat angrily. This was about the millionth time today that he was making me late for class.

"Because I know you'll just love it! It concerns you, after all. I came up with it myself….er…with the help of Sirius, and Remus…and, er….Peter….and-"

"Just get to the point!"

"All right, Lily dear, now, I was thinking you could go out with me."

"And why would I now when I have refused every other time you've asked?"

"Oh, right, I forgot to tell you the finer point- if you go with me once, I will never bother you again…. that is, if you don't want me to."

I sighed. It _did_ seem like a pretty good deal. Only an hour or so of torture and I'd never have to deal with the big - headed jerk again.

"Oh, all right, but only once."

When he finished telling me the details of our 'date', I immediately ran to the girls' dorm and related everything that had happened to Alice

"Hey, that's not a bad idea after all," she said when I was finished, "Good for you!"

"I'm starting to think it wasn't such a good idea…" I mumbled.

"Why ever not? It's awesome! Besides, you might even have fun." I yelped in surprise.

"No, way! It's torture, I say, torture! An hour with the toe rag of Gryffindor tower!"

"Well, you never know until you've tried," Alice replied wisely, wearing a smug little smile that said she knew something I didn't, which, I'll tell you, is very annoying.

"I guess we'll see," I answered, putting on what I hoped was an equally smug little smile, but I suppose it wasn't, because Alice simply snorted and returned to her book.

I frowned and then imitated her, but found I was unable to concentrate on _Hogwarts, A History_ when all I could think about was the terrible, terrible, thing I was doing next Saturday at Hogsmeade.

* * *

By that Saturday, everyone knew about the date I had with James Potter. Even my friends, who all knew very well how much I hate the jerk, were making a big deal about it. They were currently fussing over my hair in the dormitory.

"I like it with the hair clips. The ponytail is too under-dressed!" argued Alice to Mary.

"Are you kidding? The clips are too fancy for a trip to Hogsmeade, A ponytail is the perfect casual hair style." Mary retorted. I sighed and crossed my arms.

"Why don't we brush it out and leave it down?" I suggested.

"NO!" the two of them shrieked at me. They eventually compromised, and I ended up with a ponytail and clips. The two of them dressed me in casual slacks and a yellow sweater. When Alice and Mary deemed me 'nice' looking, they dragged me to the common room where James waited.

"You look beautiful!" he announced, and then hesitantly reached for my hand. To my surprise, I felt flattered and let him hold it.

"Have fun!" Mary and Alice called in a fit of giggles before going off on their own.

We went to the Three Broomsticks first for some butterbeer. I was glad to hear he agreed Madam Puddifoot's was rather hokey.

"Mmm," James said, taking a sip, "I haven't had this for a while."

"Neither have I. These trips should definitely happen more often."

"Like, every week," he agreed.

"Well, they shouldn't happen too often, or else it'll get too old, but they should happen often enough that we aren't starved from butterbeer deprivation."

"Wise words, Lily," James said, "But I still think that whatever happens, we should always get to go right after exams."

"That," I said, chuckling, "is the best idea I've heard since the invention of cheering charms."

" Cheering charms? Really? I always thought the Patronus was a more useful spell."

So we began a discussion about the most useful magic. James was easier to talk to then I expected. After we ate, we went for ice cream at the nearby parlor and found we had the same favorite – Triple Chocolate Werewolf Sundae.

"What a coincidence!" I exclaimed, interrupting my treat's howl with a big bite out of it.

"Yeah," he said, looking thoughtful, "Lily, what do you really truly think of me?" This was unexpected. I thought for a moment, and then replied.

"I thought you were a big-headed toe rag with childish tendencies," I started hesitantly, "But now I'm not so sure anymore. Now I see not immaturity, but a sense of humor. Not arrogance, but pride. Not recklessness, but bravery. It's so different then how I used to see you." I looked up at him helplessly. "What do you think of me?"

"I saw it as a game, at first," he said, "To try and get the most stubborn girl in the school to go out with the boy she hated most. But time went on, and soon I saw there was so much more to you, so much more. You're not just the most stubborn, but the cleverest, the funniest, and the most beautiful."

I was positively stunned by this speech. It was the loveliest thing I ever heard, and I said so. He laughed and took my hand again. We spent the rest of our time goofing off in the snow until a passing student let us know it was time to go. We were practically bouncing when we returned, hand in hand, and laughing our hearts out. When James let me go in the common room, he looked a little glum.

"I suppose I won't bother you anymore." I smiled, and slid my finger around his neck, and laced my fingers together.

"Mr. James Potter. If you didn't bother me at all anymore, I would simply miss you too much. Just don't make me late to class anymore." Then I kissed him.

* * *

The next day, gold exchanged the hands of many, including my closest friends. I was shocked to find Mary and Alice had bet on my relationship with James, but I was soon smiling again. After all, I must be grateful that the odds had turned in James's and my favor.

**A/N: If you enjoyed it, pretty please review. If you didn't enjoy it, pretty please tell me why. Also, if you alert or favorite me or any of my stories, please tell me why you like them.**


End file.
